Construction Cost

Johnson Controls International (JCI) launched OpenBlue Buildings as a Service in April of 2021. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of advanced solutions, the program allows building owners to transfer the full lifecycle risk of operations to Johnson Controls, which can include upfront capital and decision-making processes; responsibility for design, construction, and maintenance; and energy efficiency and emissions management.

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the first quarter of 2021. Key points include:

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the fourth quarter of 2020. Key points include:

Construction Prices: Remain flat through Q4 of 2020, with one in ten projects showing cost reductions with strong contractor coverage across the board.

Fed Watch: The Federal Reserve continued monetary stimulus.

Architectural Billings: Q4 has returned to growth in inquiries; however, three quarters of billing declines in 2020 will result in a lower volume for the first half of 2021.

Efforts to make mass timber construction a viable alternative to concrete and steel took a giant step forward last year when Walmart announced that the 2.4 million sf of office buildings on its new Bentonville, Ark., headquarters campus would use a structural system of cross-laminated timber manufactured from regionally harvested southern yellow pine. It’s not just in the office environment where wood is becoming a contender. “We see increasing interest in using mass timber structures for research/lab buildings, especially at universities that are in major timber-producing regions,” says John Starr, a principal at Lord Aeck Sargent, a Katerra Company (LAS). Starr cited facilities at Georgia Tech, Oregon State, and Michigan State as examples.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas broke ground on the Medical Education Building in late October of 2020. Designed by TSK and CO Architects, the five-story, 135,000-gsf facility will be the first permanent structure for the School of Medicine. Funded by $155 million in philanthropic contributions, the project is being developed by Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation through a public-private partnership.

Washington State University opened the $66 million Plant Sciences Building in Pullman in November of 2020. Designed by LMN Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 82,476-sf facility provides leading-edge research environments for programs in horticulture, plant biochemistry and pathology, and crop and soil science. Creating a new gateway to the V.

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the third quarter of 2020. Key points include:

Facility Logix, EwingCole, and Biggins Lacy Shapiro have launched Rapid Reshore & Development (RR&D) to provide turnkey professional services to the life sciences and biopharmaceutical industries. Addressing many of the logistical challenges faced by companies developing drugs, vaccines, and medical devices, the alliance represents an evolution from transaction-driven service models to a holistic focus on client needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for the research community to respond quickly to changing markets and to understand the value of laboratory spaces that are flexible, adaptable, and scalable. We’ve seen stadiums converted to makeshift hospitals, “drive-through” testing sites pop up in vacant parking lots, and testing laboratories continually ramp up production to expedite results. This quick-thinking behavior has been inspiring to witness but daunting to execute. Laboratories, by nature, are among the most complex building typologies, where the utmost importance is protecting both the health and safety of their occupants and the integrity of the research. The complexities of the resulting design can be challenging to undertake, but when faced with the extreme circumstances of a pandemic, it is possible to expedite the process with a combination of strategies.

The University of Colorado opened the $61.4 million William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center in August of 2020 in Colorado Springs. Designed by HOK and RTA Architects, the 104,600-sf facility integrates undergraduate and graduate education with clinical practice and research in a sports medicine and performance environment.

Codiak BioSciences is constructing a 12,000-sf clinical manufacturing center in Lexington, Mass. The project includes the build-out of a leased lab and office building to create a GMP facility for the production of exosome therapeutics. Codiak is incorporating G-CON Manufacturing's PODs into the center to provide flexible cleanroom capacity. The prefabricated units offer exceptional scalability and mobility, and can be easily repurposed to meet future needs.

Drexel University is partnering with Wexford Science+Technology to create the Drexel Academic Tower in Philadelphia. Construction began in July of 2020 on the structure, which will provide Drexel with 450,000 sf of rented space in the University City district. The College of Nursing and Health Professions will be located in the building, with classes beginning in fall of 2022.

Access to quick, reliable, and repeated testing has been one of the greatest challenges for businesses, institutions, and individuals during the SARS-CoV-2 crisis. HOK has partnered with Germfree Laboratories to design a mobile testing lab that will help large organizations to meet this urgent need. These self-contained biocontainment facilities can provide advanced, onsite capabilities for any setting.

Exyte is partnering with Univercells Technologies to create modular biomanufacturing facilities to meet the increased global demand for vaccines during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Exyte’s prefabricated construction system, ExyCell, is paired with Univercells’ NevoLine biomanufacturing platform which features the scale-X™ fixed-bed bioreactor at its core.

An untold number of construction projects have put on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean all work has to stop. In fact, owners should focus on preparing those projects to resume the moment it is safe to return to the job site. “The best thing for an owner to do is get these projects shovel-ready so they will be in the driver’s seat,” says James Vermeulen, managing principal of Vermeulens. “Whether the project can start construction or is delayed, it is important to be in the driver’s seat. If there’s a schedule slip, you can have an even better set of 100 percent construction-ready documents.”